This Week In History

1932, 75 years
ago

Shirley M. Hosey, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.F. Hosey, of Big
Bend, who is enrolled in Uncle Sam’s army of civilian foresters writes the
following letter from Camp Coppernale, Calif.:

Dear Editor,

I would like to inform the people of Calhoun of a very
interesting trip we took on July 15 to Mt. Lasses, the only active volcano in
the U.S. There are trails from the bottom of the mountain to the top, a distance
of two and a half miles. There are boiling springs on top of the mountain and in
some places the snow is ten feet deep. It is wonderful what the Almighty can do.
Mt. Lasses is 10,453 feet high.

I will tell you something about our camp. There are 225
men, who construct roads, fire-trails, telephone lines and build fences. We have
radio, canteen, shower-bath and library. It is the best camp in California.

You have got to give it to the West Virginia boys. There
are 24 men standing fire guard and their leaders from Calhoun are Frank Phillips
and Shirley M. Hosey. The work is not hard unless there is a fire. For myself, I
have worked five days in July, but give me the West Virginia hills.

Yes, I will tell you about the deer. I saw 22 one day.
There is an old Mr. Bear who comes down to the spring every morning or so.
Plenty of coyotes, you can hear them howl anytime. Well, Mr. Editor, I will ring
off.

1957, 50 years
ago

A decision to continue the Calhoun hospital building
program was made by members of the county court. Members of the citizens
hospital committee, an advisory group, met with the court to determine what
course of action should be taken.

It was regarded that the plans as drawn by the architect
were far in excess of what the county could afford under the present bonding
system, and that further consultation should be made with other architects.

A ceiling of three percent was placed for the bond election
on the amount of interest to be paid. The county finds itself in the same
position as the state which had no buyers of bonds bearing rates of three
percent for the Korean bonus bonds.

1982, 25 years
ago

Susan Carey, a reporter for Wall Street Journal, visited
Calhoun a few months ago for a story published last week about what the
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has done or not done for the county.

Visiting in the county for two days didn’t make Carey an
instant expert on Calhoun. She interviewed a number of people, and perhaps
picked out of context what they said. Yes, there may be some homes with “nothing
but a dirt floor and tar paper over the windows” as Ron Blankenship said, but
there are many more well-kept houses in all sections, and the tar paper shacks
are well in the minority.

Yes, as Earl
Nicholson said, “There’s quite a movement going on,” referring to an influx of
former Calhoun people returning from the big cities where, as he said, “People
return to the hollows where they grew up in to exist on the family farm and
raise vegetables.” Now isn’t it wonderful that there is a family farm where they
can do just that when times are hard?

Perhaps Von Yoak said it best, because Carey ends her essay by quoting him. He
said, “When you get a little Calhoun County in your blood, it’s hard to let go.”